In Contempt on ITV: Jodie Whittaker leads the cast of 'high-stakes legal drama' from writer behind Sherlock
The Doctor Who star will play "hot shot lawyer Olivia Savereid"
In Contempt is a brand new ITV legal drama starring TV favourite Jodie Whittaker as a “hot shot lawyer” working in the sometimes murky world of media law.
The “gripping and thought-provoking series” will introduce Olivia Savereid. She has “built a career defending people’s reputations and engaging in multi-million pounds litigation to prevent their good names from being destroyed on social media”. There couldn’t be a more topical subject in 2026.
Like the brilliant Showtrial on BBC One, this new crime drama digs beneath the headlines to get to the bottom of the story.
Here’s everything you need to know about In Contempt on ITV, including plot, cast, filming locations, and expected start date.
What is In Contempt on ITV about?
ITV’s In Contempt is a “high-stakes legal drama”. It follows a high-flying barrister whose “top-drawer advocacy skills have earned her a hot shot reputation in the world of media law”.
With an impressive list of clients – celebrity and otherwise – Olivia Savareid has built a career defending people’s reputations. Her daily bread is fighting legal battles worth millions of pounds. Her aim is to protect her clients’ reputations…
ITV tells us: “In Contempt establishes Olivia’s challenging working relationship with News Director Greg Dalman. Greg edits a London daily newspaper. He’s a smart operator, prone to pushing the boundaries of what he can publish. As a journalist of 26 years’ experience, he’s forged a reputation for taking no prisoners. He’s a risk-taker, capable of behaving recklessly if he believes it’s in the public interest to break a story. And, as his legal counsel, Olivia must summon all her skills and expertise to keep him out of libel court.”
In her private life, Olivia is a mother to a 15-year-old daughter. But, when an explosive situation erupts at work, she makes a crucial misjudgement and her own reputation is suddenly on the line…
Who is in the cast?
Jodie Whittaker leads the cast as a barrister whose “top-drawer advocacy skills have earned her a hot shot reputation in the world of media law”.
Of course, the Yorkshire-born actress is already known for playing one of TV’s biggest heroines. She portrayed The Doctor in Doctor Who between 2017 and 2022. She became the 13th Doctor and first female lead actor to play the part, taking over from Peter Capaldi.
Jodie has a long list of television credits. She is famous for playing the lead role of grieving mum Beth Latimer in all three seasons of ITV crime drama Broadchurch.
In 2017, Jodie starred in the first season of BBC medical drama Trust Me. She played ward sister Cath Hardacre, who lost her job for whistleblowing, relocated to Scotland and stole the identity of a doctor.
More recently, Jodie has played Orla O’Riordan in Time series 2, and Susan McIntyre in Toxic Town. Other notable roles include Sam in Frauds, and Pippa Grange in Dear England.
Jodie told us: “I am thrilled to be stepping into the role of Olivia Savareid. This is an amazing character in a world I haven’t explored before.”
At present, ITV has not yet confirmed Jodie’s co-stars.
How many episodes is In Contempt on ITV?
In Contempt will be six episodes of one hour each (including ads). It’s written by Steve Thompson, who is known for Sherlock, Vienna Blood, and Lynley.
Chief Executive Officer and Executive Producer Sue Vertue explains: “I’ve been wanting to work with Steve again since Sherlock. But it was never the right time or the right idea. Then one day he sat down and said ‘in the modern world, if you want to kill someone, you don’t use a gun – you destroy their reputation’. And so began In Contempt.
“It’s a whirlwind drama of cancellation, online poison and media law. There’s less than 12 hours to stop a headline that could detonate someone’s life.”
Steve Thompson added: “In Contempt is a story I have been eager to tell. It unpacks the challenging relationship between the media and the law – between the freedom of the press and people’s right to privacy. We are in a world where all of us are surfing the net, hungry for the latest gossip. This drama takes us behind the curtain and shows us the lawyers who are in the vanguard of that fight.”
When’s the start date?
In Contempt will begin filming in London in the autumn of 2026, so don’t expect it to arrive on ITV anytime before 2027.
The series will air on ITV, STV and be available for streaming on ITVX and STV Player.
ITV’s Director of Drama Polly Hill tells us: “There’s always been a voracious appetite for what happens behind the scenes before news stories are published. Writer Steve Thompson has created a gripping and thought-provoking series and I’m thrilled Jodie Whittaker has agreed to play ‘hot shot’ lawyer Olivia Savereid. I have no doubt In Contempt will captivate our audience, as it’s a really timely story for ITV to be telling.”
Read more: The real reason behind Jodie Whittaker’s ‘unusual’ accent in Dear England
